The pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi returned to work as the excitement that greeted her long-awaited release from house arrest continued to fuel optimism on the streets of Burma.

On her release from seven years of house arrest on Saturday Aung San Suu Kyi espoused a message of dialogue, and on her return to business she was true to her word, meeting with representatives from other pro-democracy organisations as well as members of her own party, the recently banned National League for Democracy.

She also met leaders of Burma's ethnic minority groups, concentrated in the east of the country. Everything is believed to be up for discussion, including whether to call for a lifting of sanctions against Burma and the end of the foreign travel boycott. She reiterated her wish to sit down with the military rulers who kept her incarcerated, emphasising that she hopes to see a peaceful end to military rule.

"I think we also have to try to make this thing happen … velvet revolution sounds a little strange in the context of the military, but a non-violent revolution. Let's put it that way," she told the BBC.

She insisted that she did not want the military to fail but to rise "to dignified heights of professionalism and true patriotism".

Wearing yellow and flowers in her hair, Aung San Suu Kyi arrived at the NLD headquarters at 10am local time to rapturous scenes. A core of around 100 supporters were there to greet her. When she left in the afternoon the number of gathered supporters had swelled and party members formed a human chain to enable the diminutive leader to exit without being crushed by well-wishers. Many women brought flowers for her and she stopped to talk with some of her supporters.

On the streets the excitement following Saturday's release was undiminished. Taxi drivers talked admiringly of Aung San Suu Kyi and newspapers that defied the military junta by featuring pictures of her on their front pages were rewarded with increased sales and readership.

While she confirmed todaythat she was not subject to any restrictions on her freedom, in a reminder of the challenges she faces her movements were closely watched by plain clothes members of Burma's security branch. They also kept a close eye on party members and others who entered and left the NLD headquarters.

Nyan Win, her lawyer and party spokesman, said Burma's high court will hold a hearing on Thursday to decide whether to hear a case from the 65-year-old Nobel peace laureate arguing that her party's dissolution "is not in accordance with the law".

The NLD was disbanded under a new law earlier this year because it failed to reregister for the 7 November elections, complaining conditions set by the junta were unfair and undemocratic.

The pro-democracy leader claims the new election commission has no right to deregister parties that were registered under its predecessor in 1990. The NLD contends that the court is legally bound to hear its case.

Full results from the 7 November elections, the first in 20 years, have yet to be released, but figures so far give a military-backed party a solid majority in both houses of parliament.

Nyan Win said Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyers are also pursuing a separate legal case against the junta, an appeal to the UN human rights council over her last 18-month sentence of house arrest which has just ended.